Evaluation of Maternal Mortality in the United States Using a Socio-Ecological Model

The United States has the most alarming rates of maternal mortality compared to other developed nations. An important factor to discuss with maternal issues and delivery is the racial disparities between African-American women and white women; the CDC states that pregnancy-related deaths for African-American women are three to four times higher than white women. Institutional racism and implicit bias are important factors when discussing African-American patients and healthcare providers in medicine. The focus of this thesis will examine current solutions to reduce maternal mortality in the United States through a Socio-Ecological Model, as well as discuss the racial disparities that exist in medicine and propose new solutions and methods that have proved to be viable in other regions of the world. The Socio-Ecological Model allows solutions to be multi-faceted, and institutions to work with communities and individuals to solve the issues of maternal mortality within the United States